


im not very good at goodbyes

by hanzo_png



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Bonding, Dragon Hanzo Shimada, Fluff, I actually can't think of any tags, M/M, No Sex, hanzo has been cursed, hanzo still likes sake, lol, mccree is an author who lives alone in the woods?, rlly everything i have to say abt this fic is in the description, uhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-22 01:41:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11957037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanzo_png/pseuds/hanzo_png
Summary: Every night, like clockwork, the dragon would appear up there, in the sky. And every night, Jesse would sit outside and watch it. He sometimes wondered where the dragon came from, and why it was here instead of somewhere else. He wondered if it had a home to go to. He had a lot of questions, none he was sure he'd ever be able to ask. He lived alone out here in the woods and in a way, the dragon felt like company. Even if the sighting was short, it's something Jesse looked forward to every night.Until one night, the dragon isn't there.***Jesse finds the very dragon he'd been watching in the sky each night, injured and in rough shape... and he's human. The only thing Jesse can think to do is take him home, patch him up, and help him heal.The last thing Jesse expects, though, is to feel the way he does about this man.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hey if you actually decided to read this, thanks!!! it's just sort of a rambling idea. it didn't go exactly as planned but I hope you like it!! it doesn't follow canon lore (obv) but I still hope u guys like it!

Jesse saw him every night, up there in the sky. The dragon. And every night, he'd sit out on his back porch and smoke while he watched the dragon go by. The dragon had just sort of…appeared, one warm summer's night. 

  The moon was nearly full and the trees around Jesse’s little house in the woods were all illuminated in bright, pale light. He’d just lit a cigarette when a strong wind coming from the southern direction suddenly blew it out, and the hat flew off his head. And then he'd looked up, and right in front of the moon was a dragon. A glorious blue dragon, who let out a roar of what sounded like anguish. Jesse just stared and watched as it flew through the sky, unwavering. He'd never seen anything like this, but…in this world, you couldn't write anything off. Anything could happen. 

  Every night after that, like clockwork, the dragon would appear. And every night, Jesse would sit outside and watch it. He sometimes wondered where the dragon came from, and why it was here instead of somewhere else. He wondered if it had a home to go to. He had a lot of questions, none he was sure he'd ever be able to ask. He lived alone out here in the woods and in a way, the dragon felt like company. Even if the sighting was short, it's something Jesse looked forward to every night. 

  Until one night, as Jesse is looking up when the moon isn't visible and no light is shining, the dragon isn't there. And…he's actually sad. He feels kind of lonely. He sighs quietly, lights his cigarette, as usual, and stares up at the moonless night sky. It's serene, really, nothing but the sound of crickets and the occasional frog in the pond a little deeper into the woods. He closes his eyes. This was one of the reasons living out here made him happy. 

  It was quiet, aside from the sounds of nature, and he could just sit back and enjoy-

  His thoughts are cut off by a huge, earth shaking ‘thud’ somewhere deep in the woods. Jesse stands up immediately, his cigarette falling from his lips. He looks out, despite it being pretty dark out.

  “The fuck was that?” He whispers to himself before he runs inside inside. He grabs his jacket and a flashlight, and walks out to investigate. He turns on the flashlight and starts walking into the woods, hardly scared. There were pretty fucked up things in things in this world, so  _ whatever _ it was… it couldn't be that bad, could it? 

  He's looking around, the sounds of the night going quiet, nothing able to be heard aside from Jesse's shoes crunching leaves and twigs as walks. The beam of light falls over trees and bushes and the occasional rock, but nothing that could've caused-

  A pained roar comes from a direction next to Jesse, and he immediately turns towards it. He recognized that. He knows what it is. He starts running towards where the noise came from, careful not to trip on anything as he does. He expects to come upon the dragon, the big dragon he'd seen every night since it arrived. He expected to see the one thing that had unknowingly kept him company when there was no one else out here.

  But instead, he comes across a person. They're kneeling amongst the leaves on the ground, breathing hard, clutching their side. When Jesse shines his flashlight on them, he's faced with a man. He had little horns coming from beneath his long hair, parts of skin covered in blue scales.

  Jesse hurries over after taking off his jacket. “Hey there,” He whispers, and the dragon doesn't move. He eyes him warily, and even flinches back a bit when Jesse offers his jacket. “You’ll uh- you'll get cold, not wearin’ clothes or anything like that. Put it on.” The dragon hesitates before he takes it, pulling it over one of his shoulders and standing up. Jesse smiles at him a bit awkwardly before nodding. That was…better. “There ya go. Come on, up. Are ya hurt?”

  The dragon gives a little nod.

  “Alright, we'll fix ya up.” Jesse puts his hand on his back and starts leading him back through the woods. The dragon doesn't say anything as they walk back to Jesse's house. Jesse doesn't blame him. Once back on the porch, Jesse leads him inside. Now in actual light, Jesse notices that the dragon’s scales shimmer. They're around his hairline, on his shoulders and scattered around his collarbone and completely down his arms. On his lower half, they started at his lower back and wrapped around to go down the sides of his legs. The rest of him was light, pale skin, aside from the red that's dripping down his left side. He's clutching it, obviously a bit pained. 

  The dragon just looks at Jesse. Jesse steps close to him, and the dragon steps back.

  “Hey, gotta see where you're hurt,” He says soothingly, and the dragon slowly lifts his hand off a bloody wound at his side that's surrounded by smaller cuts and lacerations, and he eyes Jesse cautiously. Jesse takes a look, and he winces. “Alright, hon, sit tight.” He steps away again and walks to the bathroom to get some supplies. He returns with a first aid kit full of everything he'd need. Living out in the woods, you never know what you'd need, so he had a bit of everything. The dragon looks at him and pushes off the jacket with his free hand, so Jesse can inspect him a bit further. “Lie down for me, darlin’,” He whispers, and the dragon does as he's requested, lying on the floor. Jesse smiles a bit. and gets on his knees, looking closely at the main wound. It was deep, but not deep enough to require stitches. 

  Jesse grabs some peroxide and a clean little towel. “This is gonna hurt, stay calm.” He douses the towel with the peroxide and then hesitates a moment before starting to clean the wound. The dragon gasps, groaning. “I know, I know, just give it a second.” Jesse keeps cleaning it, and once all the blood is cleaned up, he looks at the dragon. “Holdin’ up okay?”

  The dragon gives a curt nod, breathing a bit hard.

  Jesse nods and grabs some antibiotic cream and some steri-strips. These would work just fine to close the bigger lacerations scattered across his side. He patches him up, then puts gauze pads over the smaller wounds. He grabs a roll of bandage gauze. “Sit up now.” The dragon sits up, wincing a bit, and Jesse starts wrapping the gauze around him, making sure it was snug. “Alrighty, hon,” He whispers, making sure it's secure enough to stay on him. “Good?” He asks, and the dragon nods. Jesse smiles and nods, standing up.

  The dragon looks at him, staring at him, and Jesse shifts a bit under his gaze. Now that that was taken care of…

  “So…do ya…want clothes?” He asks quietly, and the dragon doesn't say anything. Jesse runs a hand through his hair. “Do ya talk?” The dragon remains quiet. Jesse crosses his arms, looking at him. “Do ya have a name, maybe?” The dragon rolls his eyes. “Wow.” Okay, okay. So this is how it was gonna be. Jesse huffs and cleans up his supplies, then goes into his room. He grabs some clothes he thinks might fit the dragon, then heads out. “Requirement number one. You need to put these on. It's indecent to have your thing-" He gestures to Hanzo's lower half. "-out in someone's home.” He hands over the clothes. 

  The dragon takes them, looks them over. It was a t-shirt, some dark blue plaid sleep pants, and a pair of boxers. The dragon looks up at Jesse, and Jesse raises an eyebrow.

  “Go ahead now.” He crosses his arms, and the dragon stands up. He holds up a hand and makes a spinning gesture, silently asking Jesse to turn around. Jesse has to roll his eyes at that. “I seen all of ya already, but alright.” He turns around. What he doesn't see is the dragon smirk at him as he gets dressed. Jesse turns back around after a moment, and the dragon is looking himself over.

  It would do…

  “I'm gonna ask again,” Jesse looks at him. “Name?” The dragon is quiet for a moment… And then he speaks.

  “Hanzo,” He finally says, and Jesse smiles, nodding. 

  “Hanzo. Good to meet ya. I'm Jesse.” He holds out his hand, and Hanzo looks at it. Instead of shaking his hand, Hanzo bows. Jesse simply puts his hand down. “Alrighty then.”

  They both stand there awkwardly. Jesse doesn't know what else to say, or do. He had a dragon man in his house, so that was one thing. Hanzo looks at him. “Thank you for helping me,” He says to Jesse, face a bit stoic, his voice quiet. It sounded a bit rough, like he hadn't spoken in a long time. Hanzo didn't know what else to say in a situation liked this. 

  Jesse nods a little, then gestures for him to sit down on the couch, which he does. “Better me findin’ you than anyone else. Say, how'd you get hurt like that anyways, huh?”

  Hanzo shifts a bit, folding his hands neatly in his lap. It didn't seem like he wanted to talk... “It's…stupid.” He doesn't make eye contact, and Jesse finds that kind of amusing. At least Hanzo felt comfortable enough to actually talk to him now.

  “I doubt it's stupid,” He assures him with a smile. “I won't laugh anyways.” Hanzo sighs.

  “I got too close to the trees. I…fell on some of them,” He murmurs quietly, an undertone of embarrassment both in his words and on his face. Jesse nods slowly, pursing his lips.

  “Yeah. Gotta…be careful. Trees can be…dangerous..?” They couldn't. Not really, anyways. Hanzo sighs and looks away, and Jesse shakes his head. “Hey, it's fine. At least you're better now.”

  Hanzo nods and looks back at Jesse. “I'm surprised that you weren't scared of me,” Hanzo admits quietly. Jesse shrugs. 

  “I've seen a lot of crazy things in my day. This was nothin’. Anyways, I see you every night. I'm well away from any people, so I think I'm the only one. It's kinda nice to finally meet you.”

  Hanzo raises an eyebrow. “You've wanted to meet me?” He asks, and Jesse gives him a shrug and a nod.

  “Course. You made this place a little less lonely. It's a pleasure meetin’ ya now.” He smiles, and Hanzo just nods.

  “I suppose I'm glad to keep you company, then,” He murmurs, and Jesse chuckles. 

  “I'm glad I got you talkin’. I was worried you'd be all quiet until you left,” Jesse admits, leaning over and resting his elbows on his thighs. Hanzo shrugs a bit.

  “I was…wary, at first. I'm sorry.” He starts playing with his hands.

  “No, no, don't be, I completely understand. I'm just some stranger in the woods,” Jesse says with a grin. “I hope you're at least a little comfortable though. 

  “A little, yes.” Hanzo shifts a bit. “Can I maybe…sleep somewhere?” He was kind of exhausted; he hadn't slept in quite a while, and getting hurt and changing into a fucking  _ person _ was a bit draining. 

  Jesse nods quickly. “Absolutely. I'll let ya have my bed, come on.” He leads Hanzo to his room, and gestures to his bed. “S’all yours, Hanzo.” He grabs a pillow and a blanket, then walks towards the door. “I'll be on the couch if ya need me, alright?” Hanzo gives him a nod and sits down on the bed. Jesse smiles a little then walks out, closing the door behind him. He plops himself down on the couch and gets as comfortable as he can. As he tries to sleep, he tries to wrap his head around what just happened tonight. 

  Hanzo. Hanzo was the dragon he'd seen. Hanzo was a man now, and it was confusing. Jesse had so many questions. He didn't know if he'd ever get the answers to them.

 

***

 

  The house is quiet when Jesse wakes up. At first, he doesn't know why he's laid out on the couch, but then he remembers. He rubs the sleep out of his eyes, quickly getting up to go upstairs. He very quietly opens the door to his room, and he peeks inside. Hanzo is still asleep, clutching one of the various pillows on Jesse's bed. He's curled around it a bit, which Jesse finds amusing since Hanzo isn't a particularly small guy. He's about to close the door when Hanzo stirs. He moves away from the pillow, then brings a hand up to rub over his face. Jesse slowly backs away from the door. 

  Okay, so Hanzo was fine. And now he was awake, and now there’d be a lot more awkward silence between them. Shit. He hurries back downstairs to pretend like he'd been preoccupied with something else. Like…breakfast. Perfect. He walks right into the kitchen to start on breakfast. He decides he'll make pancakes, since that was relatively easy to do. Maybe he'd fry up some bacon, scramble an egg or two-

  Hanzo steps into the kitchen just moments later, interrupting Jesse's train of thought. Jesse smiles at him. “Hey there. Just makin’ breakfast. How ya feelin’ today?” He asks, his smile bright. Hanzo offers him a shrug, but he doesn't say anything. He sits down in a chair at the table, just sort of watching Jesse. “Did ya sleep okay?” He asks, and Hanzo shrugs again. Jesse decides not to mention that Hanzo looked pretty funny sleeping all cuddled up with a pillow. It'd give it away that he was peeping. Instead, he just nods slowly and gets to cooking. Hanzo doesn't say anything, having gone back to the silence he'd displayed at first the night before.

  It made Jesse a bit sad, because he figured he'd gotten Hanzo to relax a little, since it seemed he'd be here for a while until he was all healed up. He wanted Hanzo to be comfortable. Jesse doesn't take too long cooking, and he makes up a plate for Hanzo. He isn't sure what he eats, so he just puts everything on it, then sets it down in front of Hanzo, who murmurs a quiet “thank you” before picking up his silverware. Jesse sits across from him, and they eat in silence for a moment before Jesse clears his throat.

  “So,” Jesse starts after cutting up a piece of pancake. Hanzo looks up. “Tell me. How come you're all human-y now?” He asks. Hanzo doesn't respond for a moment, trying to decide if he wants to answer that or not. Jesse waits patiently.

  “This...is not my true form.” He thinks it over some more, trying to find a way to describe it more accurately. “It used to be. Not including my…features…” He gestures to himself, specifically the more dragon-like parts of him. Jesse nods slowly, taking this in. Hanzo sighs, looking a bit frustrated by the situation. Jesse decided not to push on that, figuring Hanzo would elaborate if he wanted to. Hanzo says nothing more about it, so Jesse asks his next question.

  “I see…how come you know English?” It was a valid question, Jesse thought. Hanzo smiles just a little, slightly amused by the look of pure curiosity on Jesse's face. . 

  “It's my second language,” He says simply, and Jesse raises an eyebrow.

  “Well…what's your first then?” He asks, a bit confused. 

  “Japanese.”

  Jesse's eyebrows go up in surprise. “Japanese, huh? You from Japan or somethin’?” He's very intrigued now. Hanzo nods.

  “Yes, originally.” He leans against the table, his food forgotten. Jesse seems incredibly interested, and it looks like he wants to ask more questions. However, he doesn't. Instead, he just chuckles to himself and goes back to eating. He didn't want to overwhelm Hanzo with questions or anything.

  Hanzo takes that as the end of the conversation. He doesn't go back to eating, deciding he isn't very hungry. Instead, he gets up and walks around the house a little, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his side. He hadn't taken a good look the night before, mostly because he was tired and in pain. It was a decently sized place for one man. Furnishings were a bit sparse but Jesse had more than the necessities. It was obvious he was living a pretty comfortable lifestyle. He sits down on the couch, looking at the TV. He hadn't seen one of those in a while. In fact, he hasn't even been inside a house in a while… He just sort of sits there, looking around, until Jesse comes in. 

  He takes a seat next to Hanzo, sighing. “So, how long do you think you'll need to stay until you're all patched up and ready to go?” He asks, and the most Hanzo can offer is a shrug. 

  “I'm not sure.” He crosses his arms, trying to relax. The pain in his side has sort of been preventing him from truly relaxing around here. Jesse purses his lips. 

  “Alright.” He looks at Hanzo. “I suppose we'll just keep an eye on things. And…when you feel like you're ready, you can go.” Jesse wouldn't lie. He liked the company. A lot. Even though they'd just formally met, Jesse would admit that he'd miss Hanzo. 

  Hanzo gives a curt nod. He could survive here until he was healed, and he was certain he'd be able to go in just a week or so. Wounds didn't take that long to heal, did they? He wasn't a hundred percent sure anymore. Regardless, he had a bit of an adventure ahead of him. Jesse was…not Hanzo's favorite type of person. Sure, his curiosity was a bit endearing, and Hanzo could tolerate him, and of course he could be thankful for Jesse's help, but that's about as far as Hanzo's liking of Jesse went so far. He was still a stranger, but Hanzo was sure he had the gist of it all. 

  He hoped he'd heal quickly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im not a doctor


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost posted chapter 3 instead of 2 WHOOPS!
> 
> but this is 2 don't worry folks

They don't spend much of the days talking. Mostly, it's just Jesse checking in on Hanzo while he did various work around the house. Hanzo notices he spends a lot of time locked away in a room at the end of the hallways upstairs, and he kind of wonders what he does up there. He's left alone most of the time, leaving him  a lot of time to wander around the other areas of the house. Occasionally he'll go outside and explore the woods close to the house, never going very far. At night, they'll sit outside together while Jesse smokes and look up at all the stars and the moon in silence, just enjoying the still night air and the sounds of the various creatures around them.

  Despite not having prolonged interaction very often, Hanzo does gradually become pretty comfortable. He's glad Jesse doesn't hound him with questions, because it helps. He can, however, tell that Jesse is still incredibly curious. Hanzo catches him looking him over, stopping himself from talking if he's about to ask a more personal question (Hanzo could deal with questions about what it was like being a “Goddamn dragon in the fuckin’ sky all the time”, but any more than questions like that bugged Hanzo a little). If Jesse had been any more overbearing, Hanzo wouldn't have been able to stand it. But this was nice. Comfortable. They enjoyed each other's company.

  By day three, the days feel long, the nights even longer. Hanzo proves to be a bit of an insomniac, and spends most of the night awake, thinking, trying to sleep, then giving up on sleep and trying to keep himself quietly occupied. Jesse catches him looking through his bookcase on night four. Hanzo has moved to the couch, feeling bad for taking Jesse's bed. The lamp is on the lowest setting, and Hanzo is studying the various titles, trying to pick one to keep himself busy for the night. It's around midnight, and Jesse was heading out for his last smoke.

  “Hey, what’re you up to?” He asks quietly, cigarettes and lighter in his hand. Hanzo looks over. He shrugs a little, then looks back at the bookcase. Jesse sighs. He'd been getting a lot of shrugging lately… “Lookin’ for somethin’ to read?” He goes over to the bookcase, and Hanzo nods.

  “Yes. I don't recognize many of these titles, though. I take it you're not a very classic man,” Hanzo observes as he continues to scan the shelves. Jesse watches him. Hanzo suddenly pauses, a confused look crossing his face. He picks out a book, and Jesse smiles to himself. Jesse had lowkey been waiting for Hanzo to find out... “Wait…” Hanzo murmurs, inspecting the cover. “You-?”

  “Yup.” Jesse nods before Hanzo can even finish his sentence. When Hanzo shows him the book, tapping the name of the author, which is in fact Jesse, Jesse nods again, chuckling. “I'm the broodin’ author who lives in a house alone in the damn woods. Ya caught me.”

  Hanzo seems genuinely surprised. “You don't strike me as a very…” His voice kind of drops off, because he doesn't know how to explain it.

  “Don't seem good with words, do I?” He asks, and Hanzo’s cheeks turn the slightest pink color before he nods.

  “I mean…” Hanzo takes a breath, looking at the book again. “I had no idea…is this what you do all day?”

  “Write? Yeah,” He murmurs as he takes the book from Hanzo. “This one’s kind of a mystery. With all those plot twists an’ everything.” He hands it back. “It's got a buncha fantasy stuff in it too. Like…werewolves and dragons and all that shit,” He explains, then he stops. Hanzo raises an eyebrow.

  “Dragons?” He asks quietly. Jesse smiles sheepishly, nodding slowly.

  “Mhm, dragons,” He says with a chuckle. “Not those dragons that are like, the scary dudes in movies, but like-”

  “Me?” Hanzo asks, cutting him off. He turns to look at the rest of the books, amazed to find three different books with Jesse's name on them, in addition to the one in his hands. Jesse nods.

  “Yeah, like you. I think you'd like it. You're welcome to read whatever you want.” He shifts a bit. “I'm gonna go smoke, you can come with if you want,” He murmurs before he heads out to the porch. Hanzo takes a moment before he decides to follow him out.

  He'd learned something pretty important about Jesse tonight, something new and frankly unexpected. Jesse was an author. Judging by the fact he has more than one book out, he was a pretty successful one too. It was interesting, and unexpected. Maybe there was a lot more to Jesse than Hanzo originally thought. Maybe Hanzo had, in reality, barely scratched the surface on who Jesse really was.

  He walks out and sits next to Jesse on the bench Jesse had out there, and Jesse smiles a bit at him as he takes a drag. Hanzo shifts a bit. “So.” Now it was his turn to be curious. “When did you start writing?” He asks.

  Amused, Jesse exhales the smoke, smiling. “When I was a teenager.” He eyes him, then smirks. “When did you become a dragon?”

  Fair. “About fifteen years ago,” Hanzo responds quietly, smiling just a little. Jesse sits up a bit straighter.

  “Fifteen years, huh? Tell me somethin’ how old are ya, darlin’?” He asks, and Hanzo actually chuckles.

  “Thirty-eight.” He looks amused when Jesse looks at him, and Jesse's heart leaps a little. Wow, he was _actually_ getting Hanzo to talk to him, to open up to him. Hanzo smirks. “And you?”

  “Thirty-seven. Mighty close in age, we are,” Jesse says with a grin. “How's about that?” He leans back against the bench, taking another drag. “How did ya end up here? Why did ya leave Japan?”

  Hanzo smiles a little. “It became painful to be home, after so many years. I decided to leave, and not go back. The woods here seemed secluded. I liked it. I stayed.”

  Jesse hums quietly, nodding. “Yeah, it is pretty swell here.”

  Hanzo quickly turns the heat back on Jesse. “How did _you_ end up here?” He asks, smirking. Jesse laughs a little.

  “I'm not much of a city guy. Lived there for quite a while, believe it or not. Came out to these woods with my daddy back when I was a kid, fell in love. I wrote lotsa stories about bein’ out here…” He pauses. “After my parents died, after I got caught up in all sorts ‘a trouble…I decided being out here was what was best for me. And uh…here we are.” He smiles, and Hanzo nods. He's a bit surprised Jesse had so much depth to him- ooh, that's a bad thought, and Hanzo winces at himself for thinking that. He shouldn't be surprised. People are more than who they are on the surface.

  He shakes it off quickly, deciding not to push for an elaborated answer. “It is very serene out here. I'm not surprise you enjoy it.”

  Jesse sighs happily and nods. “Mhm. So, seriously, how come you're a human-like now? I know it's not your true form or whatever, but can you like, shapeshift into a human whenever ya want?” He asks, suddenly incredibly curious about it. He's surprised he hadn't thought of asking for clarification earlier.

  The question makes Hanzo laugh. “No, unfortunately. Injury, surprisingly enough, is one of the very few things that allows me to change back.”

  “What are the other things that let you switch back? If there actually is any…” Jesse looks at Hanzo, smiling. Hanzo has to think this one over, then, he grins.

  “Full moons. Like a werewolf.” He's teasing, to keep it light. It makes Jesse laugh, and God, his laughter was so contagious, Hanzo can't help but laugh with him. Jesse judges him.

  “You kiddin’?” He asks through a chuckle, and Hanzo shakes his head, still smiling.

  “You've caught me,” He says with a little shrug, trying to keep the light hearted tone. “I am a were…dragon, I suppose.” He hated being a dragon, in all seriousness, though. He was isolated, alone, afraid. Deprived of what he needed to _live_. And he hated it. But there wasn't much he could do about it.

  Jesse shrugs and decides to drop that question. “Sucks you're not a were _wolf_. _Wolves_ are neat.” He mumbles, and that garners another chuckle from Hanzo.

  “Dragons are much cooler, Jesse,” Hanzo murmurs through quiet laughter, amused. Jesse smiles, thinking his laughter is such a beautiful sound. He enjoys it while he can. Jesse decides to continue with his questions.

  “So, what did ya do before bein’ a dragon?” Jesse asks, changing the subject again.

  Hanzo shifts a bit, smiling slightly. “My father was training me, so I could eventually take over as head of my family.” Jesse raises an eyebrow.

  “Head of the family? Whaddya mean?” He asks, and Hanzo pauses for a moment.

  “My family has some…criminal ties.”

  “Oh, so you're like a gang.”

  Hanzo thinks this over. “I suppose so,” He agrees, nodding a bit and looking at Jesse.

  Jesse nods slowly, taking this in. Then he decides to ask the question that's been eating at him the past couple days. “So, you're trainin’ to be mob boss, and…how'd the whole turnin’ into a dragon thing come about?” He asks, and Hanzo goes quiet, looking away from Jesse. He shifts nervously in his seat, and when Hanzo goes stiff, a somber look washing over his face, all air of amusement gone, Jesse realizes he probably should not have asked this question. Well, shit.

  “It's…a long story, Jesse,” He murmurs, sighing quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. Jesse takes a final drag off his cigarette and lights another.

  “I've got time if you do,” He murmurs, and Hanzo takes a deep breath.

  Might as well…

  “My brother and I…we tended to disagree on many things. He was younger than I was, not by much, but we were still very different. The way he saw things, the way I saw things…they just didn't match up. Especially in regards to our family. I wanted us to rule together. To be strong and powerful. But he didn't...He wanted something different for us and our family. I couldn't let that go. So, one night, I was given a duty. A duty, and a burden. I did not wish to do it, but it was something I had to do. For the family.”

  Jesse listens carefully, trying to piece the story together in his mind. He doesn't say anything, paying close attention.

  Hanzo has gone quiet, a pained look in his eyes. He takes a breath and continues. “I killed my brother. It was what I had to do…to keep my family strong, and in power- to keep _myself_ in power. To…” He stops, shaking his head, not wanting to elaborate on that any further. “...soon after that happened, I was visited by the dragon spirit I possessed within me. I'd awoken it through such violence. It told me that since I committed such a terrible act against my own brother, I'd be…cursed to live like this, until I honored my brother, until I’d righted my wrong. It's taken over my being, and it's…who I am now. The rare moments I'm allowed to be human are moments I do my best to treasure. The spirit, I suppose, takes a bit of pity on me occasionally.”

  Jesse rests a comforting hand on Hanzo's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. He's afraid to comment on the fact that Hanzo has killed his own brother, so he doesn't. “... well...you're here now, Han,” He whispers. “So…I really hope you enjoyed the time you've spent with me.”

  Hanzo gives him a weak smile. “I dislike to admit it, but I have.” He sighs and closes his eyes, continuing his story. “I was told a few years back that I had not properly honored my brother after his death, which is why my curse had not been lifted yet.”

  Jesse shifts a bit. “Do ya know what you have to do to, ah, honor him right?” He asks, looking at him sympathetically. Hanzo shakes his head.

  “I don't. I've done what I could. I prayed, I made offerings, but I don't know what else to do. There's nothing I can do to bring him back, and there's nothing I can do to fix it. I have never stopped hating myself for what I did…this punishment…it is completely justified.”

 “I'm…I'm sorry, Han.” Jesse rests a hand on Hanzo's shoulder, trying to make him feel a bit better. Hanzo just shrugs a little, looking away. “I figure it's gotta be rough on ya,” He murmurs, offering him a smile. Hanzo shrugs again, sighing.

  After a moment, Hanzo decides he doesn't want to think of this anymore, and changes the subject. He had to lighten the mood, it was getting too serious. Hanzo chuckles. “...I was being serious about the full moon thing,” He murmurs, looking at Jesse, a new sort of sparkle in his eyes. It was almost like he was playing around with Jesse. Like he enjoyed making him smile.

  Jesse grins a bit, trying not to laugh. He'd humored him earlier, but he wouldn't believe him. “You were not! Liar!” No way was he falling for that. Hanzo laughs at Jesse's expression and holds up his hands.

  “Alright, alright,” He says with a smile. “I was lying. But wouldn't it be cool?”

  Jesse nudges him, rolling his eyes. “You know damn well it would.” They both get some giggles out after that

  Conversation starts to lull after the seriousness of it all. Hanzo talks a little bit more about who his brother was, and more about the dragon spirits that slept within all the Shimadas. Jesse seems pretty amazed by it all, but he comforts Hanzo the best he can when he gets a bit emotional over his brother. He doesn't know how to make him feel better, of course, but he can at least offer his support. Jesse wasn't scared of Hanzo. He wasn't scared when he first saw him, he wasn't scared when he found him out in the woods, and…he's not scared now. Even if Hanzo had done some terrible things, Jesse couldn't be scared. He'd seen a new side of Hanzo. A side he didn't even know he _wanted_ to see or know. Hanzo was a soft-hearted man deep down, and…Jesse liked it.

  They head back inside once it starts getting especially late, and they say a quiet goodnight before going off in their respective directions. As Jesse walks up to his room, he notices his heart was beating just a bit faster. It had been only three days, but Jesse…oh, he was smitten. He hadn't exactly realized it until he'd seen the raw emotion in Hanzo's eyes, seen him at his most open and vulnerable. He'd seen him laugh and open up to him, he'd seen a man that wanted to make Jesse smile. He'd seen a man who wanted nothing more than to fix what he'd done, and to make it better. He'd seen a man who cared very deeply about the ones he loved. He'd seen all that he could of Hanzo, and despite all that he found out, he liked him. Jesse would admit that he felt silly falling for someone so quickly. Especially someone that would be out of his life any moment now. He never knew when Hanzo would change back.

  Jesse had been changing the dressings on his wounds each night, and he was healing fine…It'd be any day now that Hanzo left him. He was afraid for that day. He didn't know what he'd do with himself, really. He'd already gotten very used to Hanzo's company and companionship. He'd be lonely again. He decided that he'll cross that bridge when he comes to it, and forces himself to go to sleep.

  Hanzo doesn't sleep very well. After Jesse went to bed, Hanzo sat up for a few more hours just kind of going over all his thoughts. Bringing up Genji again had hurt. It was his own fault and he deserved to hurt for what he'd done. He didn't mind telling Jesse what happened. The truth was the best explanation as to what happened anyways. Jesse had understood that he didn't want to talk much about it, and he didn't push for answers. Hanzo could appreciate that.

  As he lies there trying to sleep, he can't help but just think of Jesse. It started off as him getting his mind of Genji, but then he actually genuinely wanted to think of him. Jesse. A man vastly different than himself, a man who, just over a decade ago, Hanzo would be embarrassed to associate with. But now? Hanzo found himself growing fond of this man.

   A bit too fond for his liking. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol........i tried 3 separate times to make a convincing story as to why Hanzo was a dragon and this was p much the best I could come up with that seemed even slightly convincing. SO srry for that ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ I'm doin my best


	3. Chapter 3

Jesse walks into the house the next morning, waking Hanzo as he closes the front door. Hanzo honestly hadn't even noticed that Jesse left; did he sleep that heavily? He's carrying a few bags, which meant he'd been shopping. Hanzo watches him walk into the kitchen and set the bags down, not getting up for the couch where he lies. Jesse doesn't say anything for a moment. Then, he turns and looks at Hanzo. “Up,” He requests before washing his hands at the kitchen sink real quick. 

  Hanzo does not want to get up. 

  “Come on, darlin’, we gotta take a look at your side,” Jesse insists, drying his hands and grabbing the medical supplies he'd bought out from the bags. He heads over to Hanzo, who just sighs and sits up, taking off his shirt. Jesse looks him over for a second before he kneels down by Hanzo’s side and cuts away the old gauze. He sets it in a pile before taking a look at the smaller cuts, all of which were fine. He takes off one of the gauze pads on the bigger lacerations. Getting better. Clearly still healing. The same could be said for the others. Jesse goes through his routine of making sure everything was clean and bandaged well before wrapping some more gauze around Hanzo to keep everything in place.

  Hanzo watches Jesse, like he's done every time they've changed the bandages. He wondered how Jesse knew how to do all this so well, and how he even learned it all in the first place. He decides not to ask. He puts his shirt back on, resting against the couch again, watching as Jesse cleans up. “Where did you go?” He asks, and Jesse gives a slight shrug of his shoulders. 

  “The store in town. Couple hours away,” He explains, tossing everything in the trash. He washes his hands again. “I did a bit ‘a grocery shoppin’ too. I ‘member you said somethin’ the other day about what you liked to drink, so…”

  Hanzo perks up at the mention of alcohol.

  “...I did my best to find some ‘a that…sake, or whatever.” Jesse dries off his hands before he starts putting groceries away. Hanzo gets up and starts inspecting the bags. 

  “Sake?” He asks quietly, and Jesse nods. He goes into one bag and pulls out a big, white frosted glass bottle with Japanese words written on it. Hanzo takes it, looks it over. He smiles approvingly. “Ah, yes.”

  Jesse smiles a bit. “Is that the right stuff?” He asks, and Hanzo nods, twisting open the cap. It wasn't even noon yet, but he couldn't resist. It had been far too long. Jesse doesn't say anything, just sort of chuckling as Hanzo takes a big swig of it. 

  “I missed this,” He whispers. “One of the many other things I miss about being human…” He suddenly looks sad, and Jesse gives him a small, sympathetic smile. 

  “Tell me, Han…” Jesse takes the bottle from him. “What else do you miss?” Hanzo thinks this over for a moment before he sits down at the table, leaning against it.

  “There's a lot,” He admits, smiling a little. “Everything you do on a daily basis are things miss.” He takes the bottle back and sips from it. “I miss drinking. I miss cooking and interacting with people. I miss…watching bad dramas on TV and reading books, and…playing those dumb video games with Genji…” He can't stop the sad smile that comes to his lips. 

  Jesse doesn't say anything. 

  Hanzo continues, looking at Jesse. “I miss practicing, with my bow. I loved archery. It was one of my favorite pass times.” He pauses. “Honestly, there's too much to list.” He offers him a little shrug. Jesse nods a bit, taking this all in. Then, he smiles.

  “Get up, Han,” He says as he stands up, clapping his hands a bit. Hanzo raises an eyebrow, but stands up regardless. 

  “Why?” He asks quietly, and Jesse just starts leading him outside. Hanzo huffs and hurriedly gets on the shoes Jesse had loaned him (he was relieved they were the same size) before following him out. “Where are we going?”

  Jesse heads into a little shed behind his house, disappearing for about five minutes, leaving Hanzo standing awkwardly in his yard. He waits, looking around. It really was a beautiful day out. It made him appreciate this time a bit more… Hanzo is broken out of his little trance when Jesse returns, a hunting bow in his hands. Hanzo raises an eyebrow. “Where did you-?”

  “I hunt with this, believe it or not. It's better than a gun in my opinion. Not sayin’ I'm not a sharp shooter or anythin’, because I'll be Goddamned if I'm not the best shot within a hundred miles, but that's besides the point.” He shakes his head when Hanzo smiles. “Anyways, I'm sure it's not any fancy bow you're used to, but…” He holds it out to him, and Hanzo hesitates for a moment before taking it. Jesse then hands him a quiver. “Think you still know how to use it?”

  Hanzo nods. “Of course I do. I was the most skilled archer in my family.” He gets the quiver around his waist, mounting one of the arrows in the bow. Jesse watches him, hands in his pockets.

  “Just shoot the trees or somethin’,” Jesse murmurs, gesturing to a couple trees right in front of them. Hanzo draws the bowstring back, holding the bow up, aiming at one of the trees. He takes a breath before letting the arrow fly. And it feels amazing. He can't help but grin, and the look of pure happiness on Hanzo's face makes Jesse laugh.

  “That felt good,” Hanzo murmurs. Jesse laughs again.

  “Looks like it. You really do miss the little things, huh?” He asks, and Hanzo looks at the bow again before nodding. He doesn't really say anything as he draws the bow again after pulling out another arrow. Hanzo lets loose, hitting the tree just above the other arrow. Hanzo smirks. 

  “When I was younger, I could split arrows.” He looks at Jesse, who doesn't look like he believes him. “Really, I could.” Jesse just smiles, and Hanzo huffs. “Fine.” He pulls out another arrow, aims it at the first arrow he shot. His aim is still steady, he finds, and he's relieved. He takes a quiet breath before shooting the arrow, and Jesse can hardly believe it when, just like Hanzo said, he splits the arrow. 

  “Oh my God,” Jesse whispers, eyes wide. “You really can do it! That's so awesome, Han!” He laughs, clapping. “Aw man,” He murmurs, going over to the tree. “Shit, that's so cool…”

  Hanzo chuckles quietly. “I agree. How good of a shot are you?” He asks, and Jesse shrugs a bit.

  “Definitely not this good. I mean, I can hit my prey well enough, but…” He picks up half of the splintered shaft off the ground. “I certainly couldn't do this.” Hanzo nods a bit. 

  He gestures for Jesse to come close. “Here, let me show you some technique.” Jesse drops the broken arrow and goes over to Hanzo. Hanzo hands the bow back to him, grips his shoulders and moves him a bit so he's aligned with the tree. “May I?” He asks, stepping behind Jesse. Jesse just nods, and Hanzo wraps his arms around Jesse’s front. He puts his hands over Jesse's and shows him how he holds the bow. 

  Jesse has to pretend like feeling Hanzo this close doesn't make his heart flutter a bit. Jesse lets Hanzo lead him, show him how to draw the bow, how to properly aim, how to keep steady until you can't anymore. 

  “...and when you can't, just shoot. No matter where you hit, you'll do some damage. Alright?” He murmurs, close to Jesse's ear. Jesse nods, and Hanzo steps away. “Try shooting an arrow now,” He murmurs, and Jesse nods again. 

  “You got it, Han,” He murmurs, taking the arrow that's handed to him. Okay, McCree. Don't embarrass yourself in front of him. Don't make yourself look like a fool, now… He does exactly what Hanzo showed him, and to his own surprise he hits the tree exactly where he wanted to hit. Hanzo grins, crossing his arms. 

  “Good,” He says, looking at Jesse. Jesse looks over his shoulder at Hanzo, grinning. 

  “Ya think?” He looks at the bow in his hand, then shrugs. “Nowhere near as good as you,” He murmurs. Hanzo shakes his head, chuckling a bit.

  “Do it again. I think you're doing well.” Hanzo looks Jesse over. His stance was nice, his hands were steady as he pulled the bowstring back again, and- oh. Hanzo wouldn't be the first to admit he'd harbored some… _ attraction _ to men, but…Jesse had a fairly nice ass, in his opinion, and the way his shoulders looked as he pulled the bowstring back? Mm. He shakes his head and quickly looks away, watching Jesse's technique.

  They both practice a while more before Jesse starts rolling his shoulders. “Alright, Han, I think I'm gonna call it quits. You win, best archer,” He smiles at Hanzo, who smiles a bit.

  He bows a little. “Thank you for this prestigious honor, Jesse,” He teases, and Jesse laughs, nudging him. 

  “You're very welcome.” He puts his hands in his pockets and smiles at Hanzo, who just looks back at him, a little smile on his face. Jesse looks his face over, and…he's struck with this feeling, in his chest. Hanzo doesn't move, just looking at him back. His eyes very briefly dart to Jesse's lips, and Jesse looks away, clearing his throat. Oh shit. “Anyways, I guess I should get dinner started. Ya hungry?” He asks, and Hanzo shakes himself out of the little daze he was in.

  “Ah, yes, thank you…” Yikes. That was bad. The way Jesse was looking at him, and the way he was admittedly looking back at him…that was cause for trouble. A certain sort of trouble Hanzo wasn't sure he wanted to get in, not when he knew he'd be leaving very soon. It'd only cause him and Jesse heartbreak if they let things get any farther than this. 

  Still, Hanzo can't help the way he feels, and he'd really like to let Jesse know. He'd like to…be with him, for however much time they had left together. He just hopes the damn dragon doesn't decide to hijack his body again and force him to leave before he can properly say what he needs to say, in addition to goodbye, to Jesse. 

 

***

 

  The night was cool and the moon was bright, despite being nowhere near full again. Hanzo and Jesse were outside, sipping sake quietly, listening to the sounds of the various animals and insects out in the woods. The air between them was relaxed and easy, and they didn't say much to each other. 

  Jesse’s mind was spinning a bit. He'd like to think they came fairly close to kissing earlier that day, and it left him wondering quite a few things. He looks over at Hanzo after a little while. “Were you ever with anyone, Hanzo? Before you got turned?” He asks, and Hanzo looks a bit surprised. The question had been eating at Jesse for hours. Hanzo finishes off his glass before looking at Jesse.

  “I was. Why?” He asks, his voice quiet. Jesse just shrugs a little, playing with his glass a bit. 

  “Just, uh…just wonderin’,” He murmurs. Hanzo raises an eyebrow, picking up the sake bottle, pouring himself some more. He can definitely tell Jesse is curious, so he just smiles, deciding to tell him. 

  “He was…” When Hanzo pauses to reminisce, Jesse perks up, and it's visible too. It makes Hanzo laugh. “Yes,  _ he _ . We didn't…we weren't  _ exclusive _ , but we'd been together for a year or so before we stopped seeing each other. I think I liked him.” He shrugs. “He was the only one I've ever been with, but I've never considered myself a very romantic or sexual person anyways.”

  Jesse nods slowly, thinking this over. “Yeah, I  get that. I was kinda the opposite, when I was younger. Folks couldn't get enough ‘a me, I couldn't get enough ‘a them. I slept around a lot, after my parents passed. It wasn't good for me.” He sighs. “Haven't had a steady partner since…ever,” He admits with a little smile. Hanzo chuckles a bit. 

  “Don't worry about that,” Hanzo murmurs, patting Jesse's shoulder. “Everyone takes a different path. We are no exception.”

  Jesse smiles, looking at him. He wasn't used to being so open and honest with someone. “Yeah, I guess you're right. Sorry if this is awkward, but ya like boys, then?” He asks, and Hanzo laughs. Jesse inwardly curses himself. Real fuckin’ smooth, McCree. 

  “Yes, I do. Why do you want to know so bad?” He asks, totally amused. In any other situation, he'd consider these questions inappropriate and a bit rude. But the alcohol has loosened him up, and it wasn't like he didn't like Jesse, because he did. Kind of a lot. Jesse blushes, clearing his throat. 

  “Was just sorta…wonderin’ if I could…maybe kiss ya.” He keeps playing with his glass. Jesse hadn't intended to be so blunt, but...He wasn't exactly spectacular at being smooth anymore. He was rusty, and the alcohol swirling around inside of him was blurring his judgement just a bit. He just hopes Hanzo doesn't think he's crazy or anything.

  Hanzo's eyes widen a bit, and he goes still.“Jesse...” He relaxes, then he sighs. There was no use in hiding it. “...I have to admit something, Jesse,” He murmurs, and Jesse looks up at him, lowkey starting to smile a bit. Hanzo just keeps talking, not really noticing. “Over these past few days…I have to admit that I've grown very…fond of you. And I suppose it's obvious now that you feel the same. And, honestly, I've thought about kissing you a bit, especially- especially earlier today, so I think I'd like to-”

  “Do you always give a speech before you lay one on someone?” Jesse interjects, suddenly looking pretty amused. Hanzo looks up, his pale cheeks going bright red. He quickly looks away, embarrassed that he'd started to ramble.

  “No, I don't, I just-”

  Jesse just cups his face and kisses him, to shut him up and get on with it. Hanzo's rambling was cute, no doubt, but Jesse really wanted to taste those lips. Hanzo doesn't pull away, because the feeling of Jesse's lips on his own just feels…amazing. Exactly what he'd wanted. Having this sort of contact with someone after so, so long was almost a relief. Neither of them had realized they'd been craving this until their lips finally touched. It's a brief kiss, but it's nice all the same. 

  They pull away from each other, and Jesse can't help but grin. He strokes Hanzo's cheeks with his thumbs, and Hanzo just smiles. Then, he leans in for another a kiss, a more passionate one. Jesse doesn't hesitate to kiss him back, matching his pace. Hanzo can taste the alcohol and smoke on him, and it's so perfectly Jesse he doesn't care about it. For the first time in over a fucking decade, Hanzo feels warmth in his heart. His body feels hot, and it feels like his nerves are on fire. His heart is alight and his head is swimming, and all he can think of is Jesse. Jesse fucking McCree has litten him up in a way he didn't think was possible anymore.

  For the first time in a very,  _ very  _ long time, Hanzo feels genuinely happy. He never wanted this moment to end. He wanted to feel this way forever. 

 

***

 

  Jesse wakes up alone the next morning, a tad hungover. When he reaches out a hand in the breaking dawn to find Hanzo, he finds the spot in the bed cold. He'd been gone for a while, then… He sits up and looks around in the fading darkness. His heart twists a little bit. He gets up, pulls his pajamas back on, and walks out of his room. 

  “Hanzo?” He calls out as he starts walking down the hall. “Hanzo, are you still here?” He doesn't receive a response. He heads into the living room. Empty. He heads into the kitchen. Empty. He heads to his backyard. Empty. He's hurting, now. After last night, he'd sort of hoped, in some dumb romance novel sort of way, that his affection and feelings towards Hanzo would be enough to keep Hanzo human. But that was ridiculous, wasn't it? Life wasn't a romance novel, and that's not how this would go. 

  Hanzo was gone, and Jesse would never see him in person again. Maybe, if he was lucky, he'd be back up there in the sky. If he was lucky, maybe he'd see him each night again. If he was lucky…

  He heads back inside, running a hand through his hair. He felt heartbroken, and he hates himself for it. He knew this was going to happen. He knew this was going to happen, but he got too wound up in Hanzo anyways. This was Jesse's own fault. He looks around the empty kitchen and thinks about how Hanzo was here just a day ago. He sighs quietly, but something catches his attention. How did he not notice before? 

  Sitting in the center of his kitchen table was the nearly empty bottle of sake. Under it was a folded up slip of paper. Jesse quickly goes over and takes the paper, opening it and reading it, his heart pounding. Jesse doesn't even know what he's hoping to read when he opens it.

_ Jesse,  _

__ _ I must apologize for this. I thought I might have had a day or so more before I had to leave. I was wrong. I can feel the dragon stirring within me. It won't be long now. I wanted more than anything to give you a proper farewell, but I'm not very good at goodbyes. So I leave you this note, with hope this will suffice.  _

__ _ I promise you, Jesse, that I will come back. _

__ __ __ _ Yours,  _

__ __ __ __ _ Hanzo _


	4. Chapter 4

Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, months to a year. Each night, Jesse went outside in hopes of seeing Hanzo again. And each night, Hanzo was never there. The sky felt empty, the moon seemed to shine less brightly, and Jesse was left with an aching heart. But he never stopped thinking about him. 

  He even ends up writing a damn book about what happened. To his surprise, it's a hit. It was different from what he'd written before, but people accepted it as a welcome change. He's happy about it, but it sort of makes him miss Hanzo a bit more. He wonders what Hanzo would think if he read it…

  Winter rolls around. It's about a year and half since Hanzo left now. Jesse looks at the note a bit often. It's hanging up on the fridge. He feels absolutely ridiculous for still having feelings for Hanzo, since it's been so damn long. He should  _ really  _ try and get over it now. It's been so long, and Hanzo hasn't come back. 

  Maybe he never would.

  He heads outside one night to grab a few more logs of firewood, since it was cold as fuck out here. He's got his big coat on, the hat his old man gave him all those years ago, his heavy boots, and his pajama pants. He wasn't about to change completely just to get firewood. He glances up at the sky, like he's subconsciously done for a very long time now, and he notices the moon isn't in the sky tonight. 

  He grabs a couple logs, and right before he heads back through his front door, he hears a crunch in the snow. The woods were dark without the moon, and Jesse can't see much more than a black figure just beyond the entrance to the woods. He goes a bit tense, immediately alert. Okay, what can he use a weapon? 

  He could chuck the logs in his hands. That would slow the figure enough for him to grab the axe he's left on the ground near the pile of wood. He's got his gun in its holster right inside- The figure starts moving closer, and Jesse inches towards his door. Oh fuck. The only reason he was even remotely scared was because _he was the only one living out here_. Who the fuck was this?

  “Hey, I don't know who the hell ya are, but ya better get the hell outta here, alright? I don't want no trouble-”

  The figure steps into the light that's emitting from Jesse's porch. 

  Jesse's heart stops, and he drops the logs in his hands. “Oh my God,” He whispers, eyes widening. He praises himself for not tearing up, but he know it'll happen any second now… the man he loved looked more human than Jesse had ever seen him, despite being all covered and bundled up for winter. The curse…it had obviously been lifted, and right now Jesse isn't even questioning why, or how, or anything like that. All he cares about was the fact he was back. 

  Hanzo just gives him a warm smile. “I told you I'd come back, didn't I?”

 

***

 

 “So, how the hell are you even here, Han?” Jesse asks quietly as he and Hanzo sit in Jesse’s living room, mugs of coffee in their hands. “What happened?” He looks at Hanzo, starstruck, still in disbelief over the fact he’s  _ here  _ right now. It felt like he was dreaming, in all honesty.

  Hanzo just sighs a bit, rubbing his thumbs over the rim of his mug, staring into the dark liquid. “It’s kind of...a funny story,” He says with a little smile. Jesse reaches over and pats his thigh.

  “I got time if you do,” He whispers, smiling, teasing him just a little. Hanzo chuckles quietly and leans back against the couch, relaxing a bit.

  He takes a deep breath and looks at Jesse. “I was visited by my brother. Or, rather, his spirit, as crazy as it sounds,” He murmurs, his brow furrowing a little bit. Jesse shakes his head.

  “Not crazy at all, darlin’,” He reassures him. “Considerin’ you used to be a dragon and all, right?” 

  Hanzo just smiles and nods. “I suppose it’s not that crazy when you mention that.” He sips the coffee, then continues. “He told me that he’d forgiven me long ago, and...that his last wish was that I make peace with myself, and to be happy, but how could I after what I’d done? After my visit here with you...after that last night we spent together, I realized my time with you was the first time I’d felt so genuinely happy since before Genji died. And that was what Genji wanted. For me to let myself be happy.”

  Jesse is surprised, and he takes a deep breath. There were a few things that got his heart pumping a bit faster, a blush creeping into his cheeks. One, he made Hanzo happy. So fucking happy that he'd actually broken his fucking curse. It was insane to Jesse. He didn’t think he would’ve ever have such an impact on someone. He looks at Hanzo. “So...I...I helped break your curse?”

  Nodding, Hanzo sits up a bit straighter. “Mhm,” He hums quietly, and then he smiles a bit. “The dragon inside me...had finally been sated for good. There were no more bitter feelings or anger for it to feed off of, so...it was gone. I’ve moved on and I’ve let myself be happy. And I’ve never stopped thinking of you…” Admittedly, it was strange for Hanzo to bear himself like this, and to be open and honest. In any other situation, if it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have admitted his feelings so easily.

  But this was Jesse. In such a short time, Jesse had shown him so much kindness and caring, and he’d loosened him up and made him  _ feel  _ like he hadn’t in a very, very long time. Hanzo didn’t want to let that go. He still doesn’t know why Jesse trwated him the way he did, but he was grateful for it nonetheless. It was a bit of a stretch, but Hanzo is certain he loves Jesse.

  Jesse looks at Hanzo, his expression soft. “I haven’t stopped thinkin’ of you either,” He says, his voice quiet but full of emotion. Hanzo is about to responf before Jesse suddenly grins. “Holy shit, hold on a sec, Han.” He sets his mug down on the coffee table and hurries over to his bookcase, looking throught it for a few moments before he finally picks out a book, making a little sound of discovery. “Here it is.” He turns and hands the book to Hanzo.

  Taking the book, Hanzo inspects the cover. It was simple, the picture on the front being that of a forest, with the moon in the sky. It showed a man sitting on a porch looking over at the night sky, and up there with the moon was a dragon flying across it. The title was at the bottom in gold-  _ The Dragon Spirit _ . It was simple, but it made Hanzo’s heart leap. He looks up at Jesse, tilting his head a bit.

  “...what is this about?” He asks quietly, flipping the book over to start reading the back. Jesse just shrugs a little bit, smiling sheepishly.

  “It’s about us. About those few days we spent together. I mean, I didn’t write out every single detail, it’s its own story an’ everything, but it was based off us.” He looks at him, biting his lip a bit for a moment as Hanzo silently continued to read. Then, Hanzo looks at Jesse.

  “If I had the talent, I would’ve written about us too,” He comments, and Jesse raises an eyebrow. Hanzo continues, smiling a little. “Our story is quite an interesting one, you know.” Jesse chuckles, nodding as he sits back down next to Hanzo.

   “It sure is, darlin’.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


*******

_ ~EPILOGUE~ _

*******

 

  “I told ya gettin’ a dog would be fun!” Jesse shouts at Hanzo, who’s literally sprinting away from the big German Shepherd Jesse had brought home. The dog thought Hanzo was playing, so the animal was jumping around, barking, and trying to pounce on Hanzo. Hanzo was seriously not having it, glaring at the dog, trying to get away from him.

  Hanzo stops running at one point, breathing hard, and the dog gets in a playful stance, his hind in the air, his tail wagging eagerly. Hanzo goes stiff. “Do not come near me, animal,” Hanzo mutters, and the dog barks. “I’m serious.”

  Jess rolls his eyes, laughing. “The damn dog don’t speak English, Han,” Jesse calls out to Hanzo, who looks over at him, nods, then looks back at the dog. He kneels down to the dog’s height, and the dog lies down completely, his tail still wagging.

  Hanzo stares the dog in the eyes...and starts speaking to him in Japanese.

  Jesse smacks his forehead. “Hanzo. He doesn’t speak Japanese either.”

  “Well it must know  _ something _ !” Hanzo shouts back, his head spinning to look at Jesse as he throws his hands up in the air. The dog takes that as an invitation to jump on him, and he pounces Hanzo, licking at his face. Hanzo yells out, trying to fight back, but after a moment he just goes limp, letting the dog assault him. His eyes are narrowed when Jesse walks over, laughing at Hanzo.

  “He knows that he loves you, Hanners,” Jesse says fondly, and Hanzo just huffs.

  “I do not love him,” Hanzo mutters, glaring up at Jesse. “This is not fun.” The dog has sat himself almost completely on Hanzo’s chest. Jesse sighs and sits down on the ground next to Hanzo.

  “Fun to me. And to the dog.” He has over and scratches behind the dog’s ears. “We gotta give him a name,” Jesse muses as he looks at the dog.

  Hanzo scoffs, not even trying to get the dog off him. “We are not naming him. That just gets you attached. And we aren't keeping him.”

  “What?” Jesse asks in surprise. “Yes we are too! He's part ‘a the family now, Han!” He protests, glaring. Hanzo shakes his head, his expression firm and stern. 

  “No. He's too rowdy.”

  “Oh, Han, let's keep him. I'll let you name him, if ya want,” Jesse tries to persuade him, and Hanzo just sighs. Jesse would never let it go if Hanzo made him get rid of the dog, so honestly, there was no use in arguing with him. 

  “Fine, we'll keep him.” He looks at the dog, who is now resting his head on his chest. He stares at him, trying to think of a good name. Then, after a moment or so of silence, he smirks. “Genji Junior. That's his name. He's just like my brother was.” He pats the dog's head. “It’s a fitting name for sure.

  Jesse grins. “Perfect.” He scratches behind the dog’s- sorry,  _ Genji Junior’s  _ -ears again. “So, now that we love each other, livin’ together, and now that we got a dog...whaddya think we are, Han?” He asks Hanzo, who struggles to sit up. Genji Junior actually gets up and moves to sit on the ground so Hanzo can actually sit up. They hadn’t offically said what exactly they were, relationship wise. 

  Hanzo looks at him. “What would you like to be?” Hanzo asks, smiling a bit. He scoots a bit closer to him, putting his hand over Jesse’s. Jesse hums, thinking this over. He smiles sweetly at Hanzo, leaning in close and kissing him softly. 

  “Well, all I know is I wanna be with you for the rest of my damn life, Han,” He murmurs, making Hanzo grin as Jesse kisses him again. 

  “Then you will,” He whispers, gently cupping his face. He presses another soft kiss to Jesse’s lips before pulling away. He stands up, dusting himself off and smiling down at Jesse. Genji Junior jumps up and lets out a little bark. Jesse gets up and takes Hanzo’s hand, squeezing it gently.

  As they head inside to settle down for the evening, both Hanzo and Jesse feel like they wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, with anyone else. Hanzo never imagined himself settling down with someone-  _ ever _ . Especially after being cursed. And to be with someone like Jesse? Well, if Hanzo was told way back when he was younger that he’d be in a relationship with a cowboy and that they’d have a little place in the woods with a dog running around, he’d think they were out of their fucking minds. But now? He couldn’t see himself with anyone else. 

  Jesse was truly the love of his life, and...he never imagined himself being this happy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh sorry this was so short. but I hoped you all enjoyed it at least a lil bit. AND I hope I ended it on a happy note. I like it when things end happy so ya know ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ ANYWAYS thanks for sticking around you all are awesome <3333


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